Egypt's army must exercise restraint with state media

New York, July 3, 2013--The Committee to Protect Journalists today
called on the Egyptian military to refrain from exercising editorial control
over state-owned media as the country's political crisis deepens.

"Those in power have long used state media as their
political tool," said Sherif Mansour, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa
Coordinator. "But in these critical times, when Egyptians are desperate for
independent information, the news media should not be political pawns."

The army has maintained at presence at state television
headquarters since Hosni Mubarak was ousted. However, the station was allowed to broadcast
President Mohamed Morsi's speech Tuesday night rejecting military intervention.
Today, special units entered the newsroom to monitor content and ensure the military's
messages are broadcast, news
reports said, but staffers said
the troops did not interfere. The army on Monday demanded that Morsi address
the demands of millions of demonstrators within 48 hours or face unspecified
intervention.

Information
Minister Salah Abdul Maqsoud, a Morsi ally, was forced to leave the state
TV building today, according to news reports. His
post--long used to manage the flow of information, primarily through editorial
control of state media--had been briefly suspended
after Mubarak stepped down in 2011, but it was reinstated by the military.
Despite expectations that he would abolish the post after taking office, Morsi instead
appointed his ally.

Egyptian law effectively ensures that state-run outlets
follow the editorial line of the Ministry of Information, and journalists
critical of the government have been punished with suspensions
or dismissals.